The Roar of the First Dragon
Percy looked at the massive beast before him. Now that Echidna's aura had vanished, he could see it clearly—a towering monster, standing like a living wall. It held two swords, one black and one golden, one in each hand. Its black jacket fluttered in the wind and dust, fitting perfectly as if it were part of its armor.
The beast roared furiously, and a scorching blast of fire erupted from its mouth. Percy rolled across the ground instinctively, dodging the flames by mere inches. As soon as he got back on his feet, he launched himself forward with all the strength in his legs. With his black sword, he slashed toward the creature, but it moved with feline reflexes—perhaps thanks to its leonine side—leaping to one side. Even so, the blade managed to graze it, leaving a mark along its flank. The dark edge had barely touched it, yet a line of blood spilled from the wound, greater even than what Anaklusmos could inflict. The difference between the two blades was clear.
It wasn't that Anaklusmos was weaker… well, perhaps a little less sharp, but its true strength lay in its ability to return on its own. That made it perfect for throwing.
And that's exactly what Percy did. The moment his slash missed, he hurled Anaklusmos straight toward one of the Chimera's eyes.
The sword flew at incredible speed, and although the beast moved its head at the last instant to dodge, the blade still grazed its eye, injuring it. It didn't pierce it as Percy intended, but at least now it had a blind spot.
The Chimera roared in pain, a guttural sound that thundered through the air.
"Groouw!" the creature bellowed as it rose on its hind legs, slashing wildly in every direction—especially toward Percy.
The demigod moved quickly; he ducked, rolled to the side, and leapt to avoid the claws.
Using the momentum, he rose just high enough to attempt a strike at the creature's neck. However, the serpent that formed its tail lunged at him like lightning. Percy crossed both swords just in time to block; the reptile's fangs clashed against the metal, scattering sparks and venomous hissing. The force of the impact sent him flying; with no footing in the air, he was thrown violently backward.
Percy twisted midair before landing, cushioning the impact with one knee on the ground.
His gaze was cold and calculating. He studied his enemy in silence, searching for a weak spot. Unlike the Minotaur—who was all muscle and rage—this creature was agile, resilient, and cunning. It was like fighting two beasts at once; the leonine body and the serpentine tail moved in perfect coordination, waiting only for a single mistake to strike and inject its venom.
"Grrr…" the Chimera growled, circling Percy, stalking him, ready to pounce.
Then a shout broke the tension.
"No!"
A child's voice—trembling, panicked.
Percy and the Chimera turned their heads toward the source of the sound.
There, in a corner, was the same boy from before, now with his mother. The child had slipped from her grasp and, without thinking, picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at the beast.
"Bad! Go away!" he cried with innocent bravery, while his parents ran toward him in desperation, shielding him with their bodies.
The Chimera, irritated by the interruption, decided to finish it quickly. Its chest swelled; fire gathered in its throat, preparing to unleash a blazing sphere toward them.
Percy's eyes widened, his senses sharpening to their limit. He felt the pressure in the air, the heat, and the moment of decision stretched into eternity.
Gathering all his strength into his legs, he launched forward, leaving a crater where his feet had pushed off.
But at the very last second, the Chimera turned its head toward him.
It had been a feint. All that time, it had been waiting for this.
With its mouth full of fire, it aimed straight at Percy.
The warning roar mixed with the incandescent glow of the flames ready to annihilate him.
Percy didn't hesitate.
Anaklusmos, which had magically returned to his pocket, was drawn out in its pen form. Without waiting for it to transform, he removed the cap with his teeth and hurled it straight into the center of the creature's mouth.
At that exact instant, just as the blaze was about to erupt, the pen transformed inside the monster's throat. The blade burst outward, piercing its neck from within and blocking the fire that had no way to escape.
The pressure grew. The heat became unbearable.
Percy seized the moment. He reached the creature and drove his black sword straight through its heart.
The force of the leap and the power of his strike pushed them both backward; the colossal beast crashed into the wall behind it, shattering it. They tumbled through stone and dust.
In midair, Percy pulled his sword free from the Chimera's chest and, with one final motion, sliced it in half.
The monster's body disintegrated, turning into golden dust that was absorbed by his sword before vanishing into the inner pocket of his jacket.
Percy didn't have time to check anything else; gravity reminded him he was still in free fall.
"Aaaaaah!" he shouted as his body plunged toward the waters of the Mississippi River.
…
The fat, hideous woman began to transform.
Her lower body stretched, turning into a gigantic serpent; a scaly mass that twisted and coiled with a wet, slithering sound. Her upper body, however, kept its grotesque, swollen, repulsive human shape, her skin covered in serpent scales and streaks all over. Her dress had been completely torn apart by her excessive growth, though, surprisingly, the creature seemed to retain a sense of modesty; she wore a surprisingly sturdy top. The creator of that garment must have been a god to have it withstand such a transformation.
Her hat had long since disappeared, and her hair now moved like a nest of serpentine tails, each crowned with tiny rattles that jingled in rhythm with her fury.
"Wretched fool! You deserve death for meddling with me!" roared Echidna, her forked tongue flicking between massive teeth from which dripped viscous, poisonous saliva.
Before her, Miraak stood motionless, holding his enormous black sword. His eyes weren't looking at Echidna herself, but through her, as if he were already deciding where to cut first.
His body still glowed faintly under that draconic form; his wings stirred slightly, beating the dust and ash into the air.
Then he murmured something.
"WULD NAH KEST."
The Whirlwind Shout echoed with power. In the blink of an eye, Miraak vanished, moving at an impossible speed. In an instant, he was in front of Echidna's face, sword raised to sever her neck.
Echidna barely managed to react. With a surprised snarl, she raised a massive hand; her thick fingers, tipped with claw-like nails as sharp as blades, clashed against Miraak's edge, stopping the strike.
For a second, she thought she had resisted—until she saw her freshly shaped nails had cracked slightly.
"How dare you!" she screamed, furious not at the wound but at the damage to her nails.
She opened her mouth and spat a cloud of toxic smoke that spread like a poisonous wave toward Miraak, who floated in the air with wings outstretched.
"VEN GAR NOS."
The Cyclone Shout.
The air roared around him, forming a vortex that swept the toxic smoke up into the sky and scattered it to dust. But just as Miraak was about to launch another attack, something caught his attention.
Echidna had raised her hand and, with one sharp nail, cut her own wrist.
The black blood that flowed fell to the ground with a thick, wet sound, forming a dark, disgusting puddle that began to bubble.
Miraak frowned, raising an eyebrow with mild curiosity. Then he felt it—
A wave of presences.
Thousands of them.
From the forest, from the sea, from the cracks and alleys, creatures began to emerge—running, crawling, howling. Monsters of every kind: cyclopes, harpies, winged boars, serpents with legs, deformed abominations that roared in madness. All were drawn by Echidna's blood, summoned by her power.
"Hahaha… Be devoured by these vermin, bastard!" Echidna shouted, laughing with a coarse, rasping voice.
Not all of those creatures were her offspring, but her blood alone was enough to call and control them.
Meanwhile, Grover and Annabeth, who were hiding behind a half-destroyed wall near the arch, watched the stampede in horror.
The memory of the past froze their blood. The sounds of roars, footsteps, and chaos—all too familiar.
But before fear could paralyze them, a scream tore through the sky.
A human scream.
Both looked up.
Percy.
The demigod had just sliced the Chimera in midair and was now plummeting at full speed, shouting as he fell.
Grover and Annabeth stood frozen, watching their friend descend like a human meteor.
Echidna saw it too.
Through the dark dust dispersing behind Percy, she recognized the remains of her slain son.
Her expression twisted into a mask of rage and grief.
"Ahhhh! Cursed one! My son!" she roared, dragging herself rapidly toward where Percy was falling, her serpentine body slithering like a colossal whip.
Miraak watched the scene for a moment. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared in his eyes—one of pride.
Then he turned his gaze back to the army of monsters approaching from every direction.
He did not seem worried.
Only measuring the terrain, calculating distances.
The beasts were only meters away now; the first explosions in the area had already made the humans flee long ago.
There were no mortals nearby. That was good—not because he cared, but because he didn't want to hear Percy complain later about "collateral damage."
Miraak gave a single nod.
Then he inhaled deeply, as a colossal amount of magicka flowed into his lungs.
"STRUN BAH GOLZ."
The Stormcall Shout thundered like an ancient command of the heavens.
The clouds swirled over the city. The sky darkened as if the end of days had arrived.
The creatures running wild froze in place, paralyzed by terror. They looked upward, feeling the weight of something no mortal or monster could bear.
Even Annabeth and Grover stood still.
Even Percy, suspended in midair, stopped screaming, his eyes wide as he stared skyward.
Echidna felt a chill crawl down her neck.
Her eyes slowly rose toward the heavens.
Then it happened.
A rain of fire descended from the clouds.
They weren't mere flames, but meteorites wrapped in divine fire.
They fell in masses, streaking through the sky as if the universe itself wanted to erase those creatures from the face of the Earth.
It was an apocalyptic vision; the roar of Miraak's storm echoed in every corner of the world.
The end… seemed to have begun.